China's first aircraft carrier returned to Dalian yesterday after completing her initial sea trials.

The carrier was towed back to the port in northeast China's Liaoning Province by tugboats at 10:45 a.m. after four days of tests in the Yellow Sea, Xinhua News Agency reported.

Firecrackers and cheers erupted from the shipyard when seven tugboats, one at the carrier's bow, two portside and four at the stern, guided the warship in. A banner at the port read: "Welcome the aircraft carrier's triumphant return."

On the carrier, some Navy solders were seen walking on deck, while all its weapons were covered, the report said.

Military sources told Xinhua that the first sea trials were in line with the schedule of the carrier's refitting project and, after returning from the trials, refit and test work would continue.

The carrier is expected to officially start service with the Chinese Navy in August next year and a naming ceremony for the vessel, formerly the Varyag, would be held next October, the sources said.

Details of the four-day trials are sketchy, with the military remaining tight-lipped, but China Central Television reported that the carrier's engines, electronic systems, navigation systems and weapons were all checked.

Xinhua said the carrier might also have tested the taking off and landing of aircraft.

Yin Zhuo, a Chinese military expert, said the carrier's radar system was among the world's most advanced.

The Chinese-made system, known as the "Chinese Aegis" to compare with the Aegis Combat System initially used by the United States Navy, can cope with supersonic missiles as efficiently as the U.S. system, said Yin.

The system has been used on two of the Chinese Navy's destroyers.

Li Jie, a researcher of the China Navy Military Academy, said some unmanned aerial vehicles might have landed on the carrier.

The carrier is capable of landing about 30 Chinese J-15 fighters and helicopters and will have a crew of around 2,000.

The vessel was originally built by the former Soviet Union, which failed to complete construction before its collapse in 1991. Ukraine disarmed the carrier and removed the engines before selling her to China.

The best part of 10 years has been spent refurbishing the carrier with the aim of using it for scientific research, experiments and training.

(Shanghai Daily August 15, 2011)